Stress surrounding the gifted child

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Parenting and stress are like peanut butter and jelly they just go together! When you toss in the stress and challenge of a gifted child in that mix, it will grow just a little bit more. Studies have shown that gifted children have a heightened sensitivity to their environment, events, ideas and expectations that revolve around them. When they strive for unrealistic expectations it can cause a stress overload.
A few of those stressors can be too many extracurricular activities such as: sports, clubs, etc. Children don’t always know what is best for them so it is your responsibility as the parent to make sure they are not overextending themselves in this area.
One of the key stresses that affect all children is self-esteem. At middle school into the high school years, they just want to fit in. They don’t want to be distinguished as “different” from their fellow classmates. When a child’s self-esteem begins to deteriorate their concentration falters, they become even more sensitive to criticism, and they begin to perform less, and become devastated when they do fail.
It is of the essence that the child has a stable and secure support system, who can do anything from getting payday cash advance to hold their hand. This will help them cope with their intellectual, social, and emotional needs through the stages of adolescence. They need to be helped in understanding their gifts, but also understanding the similarities and differences that they have with other students. This needs to come from someone educated on this, not their peers who will use it to their advantage as hurtful.
The gifted child will cope a lot healthier if they are able to wrap their minds around accepting their abilities, talents, and limits. Again, they are normal children besides their accelerated mind capabilities; they still need help in developing social skills to use in life.
Ultimately, the journey is one of figuring out the difference between the pursuits of excellence versus the pursuit of perfection.

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How To Encourage Your Teenaged Child To Study Harder?

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Parents often face trouble with their teenage children because they fail to understand that old methods of communicating with their children will no longer work with their teenaged child. Many gifted students stop studying during their teenaged years because they feel unappreciated by their parents.

When your child is young, he or she may want to excel in studies to make you happy. However, when teenage arrives, the child begins to develop his or her own identity and develops an ego. In such a scenario, the child may not be interested in getting good grades simply to satisfy you. Rather, he or she may focus on self-satisfaction and adopt a more selfish approach.

Many parents make the mistake of taking their children’s obedience for granted. They presume that the child should do well in school because they have done a favor by being a good parent for the child. Well, do you think you would appreciate such a sentiment? Obviously not.

As your child grows, you should set up a quid pro Quo system where you appreciate the child for efforts made and acknowledge that the child is going to benefit a lot in the future from his or her efforts. Instead of demanding good grades as a right, you should express appreciation that the child is considerate enough to work hard for you. That is the right way to motivate your teenaged child to continue being a good student despite the physical and emotional changes in the teen’s life.

 

 

 

 

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Gifted Children – More or Deeper?

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As more and more attention is focused on keeping students up to par and not leaving any behind, we seem to be leaving some behind where they might be otherwise. Gifted children often slide through only accomplishing a portion of what they are capable of doing.

Recognizing the Gifted

As students start in kindergarten or maybe first grade, they move along learning new things, adapting to the new environment of being in traditional schools and learning how to get along with others their own age. They are often caught up in the newness of the experience that they stay focused on one thing or another. As they progress on to other grades changes occur. Teachers need to be trained to differentiate the gifted bored student from the students who are behind. Some students are out ahead, getting done with the assignments in record time, and doing them correctly. Other students fall behind, not being able to pay attention, not understanding the material etc. Unfortunately, several from both groups become bored and begin causing problems in the classroom.

Faster? More? Deeper?

It is a great thing to see gifted programs being established where hopefully students can give some expression to their gift for academic achievement. Just because a student is a gifted learner doesn’t necessarily mean they have more time or have more patience for more work. To some students it appears like punishment. Gifted students need to be able to explore more deeply, see more applications to what they are learning and be able to receive answers to the more difficult questions they come up with during the learning process.

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What Your Child Should Wear to a Costume Party

Dressing your child for a costume party is one of the more enjoyable aspects of parenting. Choosing kids costumes is an opportunity for children to develop their creativity and express their sense of originality. Whereas in most aspects of parenting there are many rules and concerns, when it comes to preparing for a costume party, you can relax and enjoy the process.

Encouraging Children to Be Creative

Halloween, and costume parties in general, are a time for getting creative and silly. Ask your son to name his favorite superhero. See if your daughter wants to dress up as her favorite princess.

Or you might have an especially creative child who would rather create his own kids costumes. Maybe your son wants to spray paint paper bags and dress up as a robot. Your daughter might prefer to dress in a black leotard and tights, paint on black whiskers, and go as a kitten.

The Appropriateness of It All

With costume parties, the possibilities are often limitless. However, if you want to make sure that your child won’t stand out in a bad way, review the invitation or call the organizers to find out if there’s a particular costume party theme. If the children are expected to come as cartoon characters or as their favorite animals, you will want to know this ahead of time.

Take the occasion of a costume party to show your child how fun life can be. Keep the stress levels to a minimum and allow your child to explore, create, laugh and have a great time.

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Activities to Supplement Your Child’s Education

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As a parent, your children often overwhelm your life. This can be compounded by the stress of having a special needs child or the need to encourage a child who is older or gifted. Learning some effective tools to manage your stress can help, as can encouraging a child to live up to their potential. Using rewards, praise, and positive influence can help any parent deal with their children while maintaining their own sanity.

Special needs children, as well as gifted or older children, have their set of needs and respond differently. Utilizing special activities and awards can be helpful. The key is determining the most effective method of encouraging your particular child. Consider, for example, a special needs girl who is struggling with learning to read. Using a book, such as ‘Angelina Ballerina’ in combination with a special gift, such as ballerina doll shoes, can provide the child with a reward while encouraging them to read.

This same concept can be used for any child; the secret is determining what motivates your particular child and finding a suitable activity. Gifted children may respond a museum or library trip. Special needs children may be better suited to educational games. Take the time to find out what your child considers an award.

Remember that job number one of every mommy is learning the fine art of encouraging a child. Learning how to do this will not only help prepare your child for a more successful life, it will help you better manage potentially stressful children. Being a mommy doesn’t have to mean being frustrated.

 

 

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Encouragement is Free

While there are so many things that parents today want to give their child, encouragement is one of the most important. As you look around chances are that you are bombarded with all types of products and services that insist that you need them in order to be a better parent. Some of these things may really work but just taking the time to say uplifting words to your child is completely free and priceless all at the same time.

Don’t worry about being eloquent. Kids, no matter what their age, would rather have your sincerity than a long list of words that sound nice but don’t mean anything. Just begin to look for an opportunity to give them a little boost. Your daughter sits at the table working through a complicated math problem and can’t quite seem to figure it out. Take the time to sit down with her, look her in the eye, and tell her that you know she can do it. Help her work through the problem, but when she finds success, encourage it!

If your son is struggling with a decision that he is making about school or an extra curricular activity take the time to listen to each option he is considering. You’ll get insight as to where he is coming from. As a parent, you may want to jump in and tell him just what to do because you see the big picture; you see what is best for him. But give him the chance to work it out himself and encourage him by letting him know that you believe he will make the best decision.

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Keeping Older Children Dressed in Style

There comes a point in time when children begin to come around to the realization that there is a set fashion and style for their age group. Different individuals come to this conclusion at different ages but for the most part it happens when they get older. Typically, certain brands become popular and you may be wondering how much you should give into your kid’s clothing desires. Should you go out and purchase them a brand new wardrobe? What are the other options?

Older children have a desire to fit in with their friends and when everyone else is wearing Coogi pants, they want to as well. In order to save money, consider buying them a few key pieces from the collection in order to give them a start. They can always pair their brand name clothes with other pieces in their closet. This will get them on the right track to keeping up with their peers in style and still make some of their current wardrobe usable.

There are benefits to buying well made, brand name clothes. While they may cost a little more, they do tend to last longer. Older children reach a point when their growth spurts have taken a break and they stay a consistent weight and height for an extended amount of time. At this point, clothes that will last and will hold up well, wash after wash, will be beneficial. In the end, spending a little more on quality clothing items end up saving you money in the long run.

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Stages of a Child’s Moral Compass

Children somewhere between the ages of seven and twelve already know about the rules they must follow in school and at home. They are able to use moral judgment when deciding whether to engage in certain activities that breaks the rules. They can reason that although they may enjoy the activity, the punishment if caught, is not worth it. They also know that parents, school officials, and law enforcement officials have power over them, and can enforce the rules if need be.

As children progress from the middle years into the preteen years, they experience the consequences of breaking the rules or going against the moral code set forth by their parents. Additionally, they feel good about themselves when helping others, when doing what others expect of them. They know they gain approval when they follow rules.

Because of the experiences they have already gone through, this preteen stage allows them to understand why adults put rules and morals codes in place. When they get into trouble, they may place the blame on someone or something else. They may even feel guilty during this phase when they break a rule or if they do something that, they believe is wrong.

This is a great time for parents to discuss with their preteen the importance of doing what is right and giving examples of what can happen when they do something wrong. It is significant because by the time children reach the teen years, they gain a full understanding of the moral compass their parents set forth for them, and becomes the perfect time for them to disagree and rebel against the rules. Fortunately, for most parents, this rebellious stage only lasts until the teen reaches adulthood.

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What Parents can do for Discouraged Teenagers

Changes teenagers go through cause them to experience a roller coaster of high and low periods. Teenagers that spend more time in a low period than a high one cannot always put their finger on what is bothering them. Fortunately, for most teenagers, these feelings fade away over time. There are ways parents can help them until it does.

Parents need to remain consistent in encouraging their teen. Parents can put emphasis on the many areas where their teenager excels, and spend more time helping them work on areas where they may struggle. They can also look for ways to compliment their teen at various times to build up their self-esteem. Parents may ease their teenager’s stress by engaging in activities the teenager enjoys doing with their parents, more often.

Everyone becomes discouraged at some point in his or her life, though for teenagers, it can seem like the end of the world, because they believe they are the only ones who feel that way. All teenagers go through this and it is perfectly normal.

Another good way to relieve a teen’s feelings of inadequacy is to arrange for a get-together with several of the teens’ friends they consider trustworthy. They can make a list of their attributes and their faults, as they see them, and share these with the group. This will initiate conversations between them where they can encourage each other. Additionally, it will help teens to see that they are not alone in their feelings.

Encouraging others when they are down comes easy for adults and teens alike. Making this a regular activity will help your teenager to see that by encouraging others, they can help themselves through the rough patches.

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The Mix of Adolescents and New Technology has its Disadvantages

Parents recall a time when they begged their parents to buy them the latest fashion in school supplies. Owning the snazzy new binder or the hottest selling lunchbox made them actually look forward to going to school. Today teenagers do the same thing, convincing their parents they must buy them the latest in electronics. In that sense, not much has changed.

What has changed is the effects the new-fangled items can have on an adolescent’s ability to function as they reach adulthood. Being able to master all the latest gadgets may attribute to the burnout some teenagers experience.

The advantage to owning some of the latest technologically advanced items, is that instead of buying a camera, a cell phone, a music player, and a calculator, parents need only to buy the latest hand-held do it all device. While this may save money in the end, it could very well stifle the teenager’s ability to think.

Some child psychologists believe that a child playing video games or using their cell phone excessively takes away from their ability to deal with peers. They believe that teenagers lose the ability to get along with others because they spend more time manipulating a video game control to produce a desired effect. They cannot manipulate their peers so easily. Electronic overload can also interfere with problem solving. The old adage, use or lose it, applies when machines do all one’s critical thinking for them, with the push of a button.

Ironically, the scientists and mathematicians that developed this new technology are the ones who told previous generations of schoolchildren that learning math and science strengthens critical and logical thinking, and gives humans the ability to solve problems and work out solutions.

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